Heritage Park volunteers fight plan to raze shops

OCEANSIDE -- Volunteers and patrons of Heritage Park in the San
Luis Rey Valley lashed out Thursday at the city's proposal to
demolish five shops in a building at the park because of toxic mold
and to replace them with the "Top Gun" house.

The five shops -- the Saloon, Museum, Post Office, Millinery and
Dentist Office -- have been shuttered for the past year because of
toxic mold. The 2.5-acre park is located on Peyri Drive.

The city has also proposed replacing the building with the "Top
Gun" house that currently sits on Pacific Street. Portions of the
movie, starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis, were shot at the
house, which needs to be moved to make way for a proposed resort
hotel downtown.

Edith Swain -- the president of the Friends of Heritage Park,
the group of volunteers that runs the park -- doesn't want the
building to be demolished or for the "Top Gun" house to be
relocated to the park as an attraction.

"We're very unhappy," Swain said. "We want them to restore the
building the best (they) can."

She added that the park group doesn't want the "Top Gun" house
either because it's not a historical structure and wouldn't fit in
with the buildings currently there.

"There's not a lot of historical value, and if they move it,
there's none," Swain said. "It's not compatible."

The park, which is adjacent to the Mission San Luis Rey, has
four historical structures on it -- the Oceanside City Jailhouse,
the Libby Schoolhouse, the original Blade newspaper offices and the
Johansen house, one of the first built in Oceanside.

It also has several other attractions that are located in metal
buildings with facades that make the buildings look like
turn-of-the-20th-century stores, including a blacksmith shop, a
livery stable, and the five shops that have been cordoned off by
yellow police tape because of mold. All of the historical items
donated for the shops sit in large storage containers in the rear
of the park.

The city has proposed razing the five shops in lieu of spending
the money to remove the mold.

Public Works Director Peter Weiss said Thursday that the city
may not actually demolish the shops or relocate the "Top Gun" house
to the park because of the concerns raised by the Friends of
Heritage Park.

"It's an option," Weiss said of demolishing the shops.

He said the city has two choices: "Remove the mold or nuke the
building."

He said the city didn't have a timeline for dealing with the
toxic mold, but said that decision is up to the Parks and
Recreation Department. Ana Alvarez, the department's director, said
the decision could come down to money -- whether it's cheaper to
remove the mold or to demolish the building.

Demolishing the building and replacing it with the "Top Gun"
house would require council approval, Weiss said. He said the
council would not need to approve plans to remove the mold.

Joe Deggendorf, a docent who plays the jail's sheriff for tours
of the park, said the mold settled into the building after it was
flooded last year by heavy rains. Swain said she pulled off
wallpaper in the shops to expose black mold all over the walls.

"We hope they don't make a decision without getting the public
involved," Deggendorf said. "It's a shame to see (the stores)
locked up. It's been almost a year now."

Michael Taliana, a third-grade teacher from Reynolds Elementary
School in Oceanside, raved about the park during his first visit
there Thursday. Taliana urged the city not to demolish the
buildings.

"The kids are able to learn so much," Taliana said. "The park is
fascinating with the history. It makes the books come alive."